We can’t let fear stop us from living. After the terror attacks of March 22nd, Brussels needs visitors now more than ever. Love Over Hate.

This post wasn’t originally scheduled for today and I debated long and hard about writing it. What could I say about the terrorist attacks on Brussels that hadn’t already said and, having left the city last spring, do I even have any right to be part of the conversation? But after 11 years in Brussels, it is my ‘home’ city more than anywhere else in the world and that’s not going to change simply because I’m in another location. I’ve always turned to writing as therapy; a way to collect and make sense of my thoughts. I hope you’ll bear with my stream of consciousness post as I try to come to terms with everything that’s been happening.

I woke up on Tuesday the 22nd of March like any other day and stumbled to the kitchen to make coffee. As I sucked down those first few sips of essential caffeine I glanced up at the news and saw the headline ‘Explosions rock Brussels.’ I grabbed my laptop to find emails, Facebook messages, and chat windows all asking ‘Are you ok?’

I read the news of the terror attacks, let it sink in and realised, like so many others who live in or love Belgium, I was definitely not ok.

Photos of a devastated Brussels International Airport hit me like bricks; Hallways I had walked hundreds of times were smoke-filled and shattered.

I turned to images from Maelbeek station. It is less than a five-minute walk from the flat we lived in for seven years. I passed through it several times a week. I have friends, many of them, who commute through it. Every. Day. I was definitely not ok.

Just a few blocks away, it’s hard for me to picture this sunny Brussels street in the middle of chaos.

Immediately I sought to contact our many friends and colleagues still in Brussels. Say what you will about Facebook, but I could have kissed whoever came up with their emergency check-in feature on the mouth. I was relieved to find so many people we knew had already listed themselves as safe. I sent texts and messages to the few I didn’t see online and, by lunch time, everyone was thankfully, blessedly accounted for.

They weren’t without their horror stories, though. I knew two people who had been on metro cars at the time of the explosion and had to evacuate through the tunnels. Many of our friends made it to work but were stranded there not knowing if they’d be able to get home.

But the people of Brussels immediately started to do what they do best – pulling together in times of crisis. Individuals and businesses were offering shelter to those stranded, taxis were encouraged to take people to safety for free, a hashtag was created to let people know there was help available – Brussels was responding to hate with love.

All I could do was sit helpless, on the other side of the ocean, and refresh my browser. I flipped tabs between two live news feeds, Twitter, and Facebook, absorbing every scrap of information. Healthy? No. But I couldn’t focus on anything else. I chatted with a few friends in Brussels about the duality of the situation – it felt both inevitable and unbelievable this could happen in Brussels. Our Brussels.

Loved ones told us repeatedly how glad they were we are in Canada. I understand their feelings. Part of me was relieved we were safe from harm too and yet a bigger part of me felt, and still feels, guilty for not being there – to help, to be part of the solution, to hug my friends, to share the pain. The people of Brussels were already congregating on the Bourse and writing messages of peace – and I wanted to be there. It felt like I was missing a major family event – a feeling most expats can relate to.

My beautiful Brussels is in pain and I can’t be there to help

Most of all, I wanted to be part of the outpouring showing the terrorists they failed. They committed a terribly cowardly act and killed tens of innocent people. But what all terrorists hope to accomplish with these terrible acts is fear. The people of Brussels showed immediately how spectacularly they failed by taking to the streets and showing their love over hate.

Now I know people in Brussels are afraid. I would be too. I AM afraid for my friends. But that fear wouldn’t stop me from going to Brussels right now if I could. I refuse to let the terrorists win.

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me over the years if I was scared, I’d be a wealthy woman. I was asked if I was afraid to live in Brussels and Amsterdam; if I was afraid to live in St-Josse; if I was afraid to travel to India, Egypt, Malaysia, and French Guiana; if I was afraid to be in Athens during the riots, or London during their own terrorism scares; if I was afraid to live in a motorhome… The answer has always been no.

Despite any evidence to the contrary, I am not, nor have I ever been a brave person. I’m afraid of a lot of silly things from spiders to talking on the phone to strangers. After countless flights, I’m still a nervous flyer and after a bad car accident in my 20s, I’m nervous passing big trucks on the highway.

I’d be lying if I said I’ve never been afraid travelling, but it’s happened a lot less than you might think and in places you probably don’t expect. No one has ever said, ‘Aren’t you afraid to travel to the US?’ yet many of my scarier travel moments have been here in North America – not Egypt, not India, and definitely not Brussels. In fact, I felt safer walking around alone, as a woman, in Brussels than I did here in Eastern Canada. Would that be different today? I’m honestly not sure. But I’d still do it because life has to go on.

Since the attack on Brussels, I’ve already heard of people cancelling their travel plans to Belgium and even Europe. This makes me deeply sad, because what Brussels needs now, more than anything, is a show of support, an outpouring of love to show that the terrorists didn’t, and never will win.

Beautiful Brussels need our support now more than ever.

Imagine if everyone decided to stop travelling to the United States because of all of the acts of domestic terrorism: school shootings, workplace shootings, shootings in theatres, malls, and right out on the street where people are going about their daily lives. If I based my opinions of America only on what I see on the news, I’d never set foot across the border.

Sitting at home, in front of our televisions or reading our newspapers, it’s easy to believe the world is a terrifying place filled with bad people who want nothing more than to hurt us. But one thing travel has taught me, time and time again, is the media distorts reality and the world is essentially a good place filled with peaceful people.

After an event like Brussels (or Paris, or Turkey, or any of the other senseless acts of violence in the world) it’s easy to think otherwise. However, the terrorists in Brussels (or anywhere else) are such a tiny fraction of the population. Just look at how many people reached out after these events to offer help, support, and love.

The more I travel to other parts of the world, especially those deemed ‘scary’ by the media, the more I see kindness, the desire for peace, understanding, and love. Travel helps break down the ‘us vs them’ mentality that causes so much friction in the world today, whether that travel is to another country or just another neighbourhood.

After the terror attacks in Paris, our website statistics went crazy for a few days, while people searched for Molenbeek. Before the attack, I doubt anyone outside of Belgium had heard of this neighbourhood at all, but suddenly it became a hotbed of terrorist fanaticism. To see it on the news, you’d think people were walking those streets with bomb vests and machine guns, rather than baby strollers. We’re not denying the area or Brussels in general doesn’t have problems and a few bad people – but name a city that doesn’t. We went to Molenbeek frequently to shop and anytime we were there our biggest issue was finding a place to park, not fearing for our lives.

Since the discovery the Paris attackers originated in Brussels, the city has been called everything from a ‘hellhole’ by a certain toupee-sporting, spray-tanned, presidential candidate, to a ‘failed state’ by just about every news medium everywhere. But few commenters ‘get’ Brussels. Hell, we lived in the heart of the city for 7 years and I’m still not sure I get Brussels. Only one article I’ve read recently has come close to nailing the problem and the beauty of Brussels – and it comes down to diversity. I honestly can’t say it any better myself so I’ll leave you to read ‘What is Brussels?’ for yourself.

Brussels is so much more than what’s portrayed by world media

I get it. Terrorism is scary. That’s the whole point of random acts of violence – to scare us into changing the way we live. But staying locked in our houses in our home country afraid to set foot abroad is no way to live. Besides, we’re much more likely to be killed driving to work than in an act of terrorism. Why aren’t we terrified of the fast-food epidemic killing us with heart disease? Give me a plane ticket over a coronary any day.

Fear of terrorism (or anything else) is not going to stop me from travelling, from trying new foods, from making connections with people from other cultures, backgrounds or religions, from living the fullest life I possibly can. Fear is definitely not going to stop me from visiting and loving Brussels. If fear stops us the terrorists win. Don’t let them win. Love over hate.

Alison Cornford-Matheson is a Canadian freelance writer and travel photographer and the founder of Cheeseweb.eu. She is the author of The Foodie Guide to Brussels: Local Tips for Restaurants, Shops, Hotels, and Activities. Alison landed in Belgium in 2005 and, over the years, has become passionate about slow and sustainable travel, in Europe and beyond. She loves to discover hidden gems - be they museums, shops, restaurants, castles, gardens or landscapes, and share them through her words and photos. She has visited 45 countries and is currently slow travelling through North America in an RV, with her husband, Andrew, and two well-travelled cats. You can also follow her work on Google+

Comment by Alison

Thanks Chalks! I hope you and your loved ones are all safe and well in Brussels. Stay strong!

Comment by Sarah

Sarah
March 25, 2016 at 21:12

Hi Allison

I’ve been living in Paris for the past 8 years, and it’s home for me in the same way Brussels is for you. My heart bleeds for all the businesses that are suffering because tourists are staying away due to terrorist concerns, especially given the sad state of the French economy. Like everyone else in the city, my husband and I make the extra effort nowadays to be #enterrasse on Friday night. After all, we don’t want to be cowed in our own home city!

That being said, I completely understand those who don’t want to visit either of our cities right now. For most tourists, these places hold no emotional ties beyond daydream fodder. An attack against Brussels & Paris does not inspire the kind of spirited defiance in potential tourists as it does in locals: it simply encourages them to find somewhere else to go on their vacation.

In economics, this would be called a “demand shock”.

After all, how keen are you to go to Turkey right now? When you heard about the bombings in Ankara & Istanbul, did you feel an overwhelming urge to show your support for the locals by visiting?

If so, you’re certainly braver than I am: while Turkey has been at the top of my bucket list for years (hiking! ruins! hagia sophia! gulet cruise!), after the bombings, my husband & I have decided to visit Sicily instead.

Cheers
Sarah

Comment by Alison

You raise excellent points Sarah and of course, no one has any particular obligation to spend their travel dollars (euros, yen) in a particular place.

As for travelling to Turkey right now, it’s a difficult question to answer. I’d certainly spend a lot more time reading up on the situation and questioning some local contacts I have there online, but I wouldn’t rule it out right away. I travelled to Cairo, for a travel writing assignment, after the revolution when the city was still devoid of tourists. I never felt unsafe, although I was travelling with a group. What I did see was the terrible impact the lack of tourism had made. I don’t think the country has ever recovered.

Andrew and I were also in Athens in the middle of the ‘riots’ there. I used the quotes on riots because all we saw were about 20 peaceful protestors with a few signs in one location in the city. There was a heightened police presence but again we felt completely safe. In fact, when we saw the media coverage when we returned home, we couldn’t believe how distorted it was from the reality of the situation. It was completely falsified to make dramatic television.

I’m certainly not trying to downplay the seriousness of the attacks on Brussels and Paris, which were tragic, senseless events. I guess what I’m saying is each person must assess each individual situation for themselves and decide what they are comfortable with. I wouldn’t blindly accept what the media tells is or isn’t safe. If I did, I would have unnecessarily missed out on some amazing experiences. In the end, if it’s my time to leave this earth, I’d rather do it while doing what I love, than cowering at home missing out on living.

Comment by Pat in Belgium

Pat in Belgium
March 26, 2016 at 16:19

You captured much of what I’ve been feeling since these attacks took place in Brussels.
We live in Leuven, about 12 miles northeast of the city AND the airport. Our immediate family was safe from the outset. No one we know was injured or died in the bombings. Still, the fact that something like this finally happened in Belgium — tiny, so often overlooked Belgium — is a shock, even though the handwriting was already on the wall, as “they” say with the weapons-laden individual who last August(2015) boarded the Eurostar at Brussels and was successfully subdued. (I ended up tentatively taking the Eurostar a month later to a reunion in England.)
I will continue to try to keep the intended fear from limiting my activities, which include frequent visits to the USA to see family and friends. (Where the bombs apparently went off at Zaventem is next to the airlines check-in we usually use and from where we traveled about that time two years ago. The metro is near my husband’s former office; he had thought about visiting a colleague for coffee that morning and then the news hit.)
I still have the idea that I’m safer as a woman in Brussels than I would ever be in the large southern city that is my hometown. However, it has been years since I’ve been in an airport without keeping eyes peeled for unattended luggage….

Comment by Alison

I’m glad you and your family are safe Pat. It’s a scary time and when it hits this close to home it’s hard NOT to completely change your behavior. I agree, despite the events in Brussels and in Paris, I feel safer in Europe than in major cities in the US. All we can do is continue to be vigilant and live our lives to the fullest we can. Take care!

Comment by Evan

Evan
March 30, 2016 at 19:17

hey–off topic, but did your husband ever get belg nationality?

Comment by Shanaz

Shanaz
April 1, 2016 at 20:29

It is sad to see that the virus has spread to Belgium, sad to hear of the deaths. While I fortunately didn’t loose any one close, the victims are someone’s father, mother, sister, brother, …

We are all afraid but staying locked up is not really an option. Honestly if we want to avoid countries with incidents there aren’t many left on the list and as you say that would include the states.

Comments are closed.

We are Canadians, Alison & Andrew, and we are slow travelling the world – with our cats. We believe every destination has a story to tell and that the journey truly is the destination. We travel slow – because everywhere is somewhere. read more...